Half Price Books

I love reading & while I enjoy my Kindle I do love to peruse titles at bookstores and grab copies now and then. I used to go here regularly and never had a problem. I’ve sold old books here & it wasn’t a hassle. There are unfriendly staff like other reviewers mentioned, but mostly people are helpful & they’re nice. I wish they had a bigger selection of books. The other branch down Parmer is bigger and I find more titles I want to read.

Normally I love this place but I went by here Saturday night at 8:30 and they were closed. Website says hours are 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. No bueno!

Don’t waste your time bringing your books to resell here. Apparently the older gray-​haired lady behind the resale counter hates her job and she’s going to take it out on you.
I walked in the door and headed straight to her counter. She looked up and saw me but turned away and went towards the back for a while so I had to stand and wait for her to return as she huffed and puffed in what I can assume was frustration. I had questions about the process of reselling my books. I guess answering my questions was more than she could bear today. She was completely rude and unprofessional. I am a small business owner myself and customer service like this is absolutely not acceptable and would not be tolerated if she were my employee. I will take my business elsewhere. They’re not going to pay me enough money for my books to put up with her attitude. The customer service here is absolutely ridiculous!

I went here one night to take up some time before the movie I was going to started and I am glad I did. It was my first time in there. I enjoyed it so much that I missed my movie time and had to go a later show. I would definitely recommend that you check out this gem of a store! Staff was great and helpful! I will definitely be a regular.

They have a terrible staff here and the way that they buy books is quite terrible but when it comes to a cheaper way of buying books … well you can’t really beat them other than perhaps online purchasing. It is also a fun place to just go and browse if you are needing to kill time. Think of this place as a Barnes and Nobles but just not as fancy maybe? hehe

I love Half Price Books. Every other Half Price Bookstore, that is. This is my neighborhood store, and I really wish is was more useful. It’s a management disaster. Selling books: I was there in the middle of a weekday afternoon and had three boxes to sell. When I entered, the gentleman said «20 minutes.» 45 minutes later, being told I had to stay in the store and wait, after needlessly walking around a store that was completely picked over (absolutely nothing on my list of what I wanted) I checked back in at the desk and my boxes of books were still sitting there, untouched. I informed the girl I had ben waiting 45 minutes, was told 20, and asked how much longer. She was rude and made a bunch of excuses that there was a shift change, yet people were mulling around sweeping floors and what-​not (plus there were 4 people at the register doing NOTHING.) I asked if I could leave and come back (I thought this would help everyone out since they were SO SWAMPED!) but I was told NO, and it would be 20 minutes. When I asked for a supervisor, she was also rude, and her solution was to help me load the boxes back into my car. I had an errand to run that required my entire trunk, so now I was IRATE, and I had now been in the store for an hour. She was somehow able to drag herself away from her conversation-​time up front to go through my books. Three boxes of hard cover books…$ 14. But I was so desperate to get out of there, I took it. It’s worth the drive to go to the Cedar Park or North Lamar Half Price Bookstore. This is a poorly managed location.

I’ve shopped at Half Price Books for years. This store always has a great selection. Clean store, etc. However. They could be a little friendlier. I walked In around 10 this morning, and was not greeted. 30 seconds later, a lady walked in and was greeted in a friendly manner. I shopped for about an hour and a half, then went to get lunch. I came back after lunch, and the same thing happened. I wasn’t greeted, and seconds later, someone came in, and the friendly chime of «welcome to half price books!» came to my ears. Great. What about me? It’s very frustrating. Who cares. I’ll still shop there. But these people can be rude. I spend a lot of money at their stores. Other stores at least greet you when you come in. I can name several businesses, some of them chains, that are nicer than this store. Work on your friendliness, HPB. It would be nice. Keepin’ it weird doesn’t mean Keepin’ it rude.

Everyone likes a deal, and half price is a deal. This location is clean and organized in a way that appeals to me. The sections are clearly labeled and for the most part, the books are arranged in alpha order by author. There is walking and breathing space in the aisles, and it doesn’t stink.
They also have a store-​linked online presence, so if you are looking for a particular book, they can check their network to see if they have it elsewhere. You can search nationwide on their website.
And they have music, in the form of CDs and LPs. That’s right, retro fans, they have vinyl. It’s not as huge a collection of music as Waterloo has, but it’s there, and priced about the same as Waterloo’s.
Where I ding this location for the rating is mostly on their buying practice, which I think pretty much applies to all HPB locations. Whatever excuse they give you (and I’ve heard them all), they won’t give you much of anything for your books. The most I’ve ever made is $ 12, and that’s for multiple stacks and bags. I still sell them just to get rid of them and keep feeding the HPB machine.
Maybe you can hold your head just right and do better. If you can, let me in on your secret.

Have been going in lately in search for vintage DVD’s. I’ve had some amazing luck and anticipate what I might find on a future visit. However, after speaking with the cashier, she told me that if i could not find something on the shelves she could look up a title and have it sent to me if another HPB had it. We found two titles that I could not find ANYWHERE (not even Netflix). So happy!

Half Price Books likes to give off that Austin «hippie» vibe, but underneath that veneer is probably the most cut-​throat capitalism you will ever see. People say that pawn shops rip you off, but pawnbrokers could learn a lesson from this place. They offered less than a dollar a book for hardcover books, then turn around and sell them for $ 20 – 30? Wow! Since they figure they are the only game in town when it comes to selling your used books, they have determined that they can take advantage of you as much as possible. Honestly, for anyone thinking about selling anything to this store, you would be better off holding a garage sale. Selling just one book at a garage sale will net you more than bringing your entire collection here. As for the prices on merchandise, I would have thought it would be much cheaper, given what they are paying for it. The staff are snobby and they really don’t act like they care about your business, whether you are buying or selling.

I took about three boxes of healthcare & technology textbooks in to see what they were worth. The gentleman who assisted me was professional, but was a little condescending. When he called me up to give an estimate of what I had was worth, he said $ 5. He said most all would get recycled. Or he would help me box all the books back up. I asked for my boxes back and I would donate them somewhere perhaps. He did not seem to pleased. Why would you want a bunch of books that you just told me are not worth anything?
The next day I was near Parmer and Mopac and realized there was a ½ priced books near there. I did take 6 boxes of books a day before at that location and got over $ 220, so I thought I’d try that location again. For the same books they offered me $ 20.25! Four times the amount then the location on Anderson Mill!
If you have books to sell, it would be worth the drive to not go to the Anderson Mill location (and I live off of Anderson Mill) and try a different location.
The location on Parmer were very professional and respectful.

I enjoy half price books. Proces are much better than what you get at barns and nobles. Just need a better selection. Other than that. Keep up the good work

Well it is a bookstore. it’s quiet. it’s clean. it’s peaceful. well now they remodeled. thumbs up and a thumbs down. long before they remodeled it was a lot more crunched in, but they had a more expansive clearance selection on DVDs, books, & CD’s and I’d walk out with $ 10-​$ 30 in some great finds, not anymore a lot of times now at this location I walk out with nothing! This used to be my favorite HPB as I would drive 25 min. out of the way weekly just to see what’s new. Now it just sloped down the hill with a new look that’s it, but I will say for all you book lovers it’s still worth a try from time to time…

Half Price Books is cool for perusing and whatnot, but I’m just not that much of a fan. I’ve taken boxes full of books there to sell and they’ve offered me just a couple of dollars. I get that they’re trying to make money, but still… for the kinds of books I’m ever needing to sell (solely paperback fiction, maybe a couple of hardback), I am better off posting it on
and mailing it to someone who requests it, getting a credit for it, then requesting a free book for myself.
I’ve been in there when my out-​of-​state cousin comes to visit, as she doesn’t have anything like Half Price Books and gets excited to stop in, and I’ve picked up a couple of books on the clearance shelf so that’s cool. Other than that, I don’t usually find myself shopping here but I can see why others like it.

A fun place to browse. Great selection of books and music, and even used board games (I scored me a half-​priced «Clue» one time) Friendly and helpful associates. I call them up at least once a month to ask if they have whatever I’m looking for in stock, and they either say yes and offer to hold it for me, or say no and suggest which locations may have the item in stock. (Most of the time they have what I’m looking for.)
Unless you want to waste your time for a couple bucks, though, I don’t recommend selling your old books to them. I donate them to charity instead, and would probably get more back if I claimed the donation on my taxes than what HPB offers.

in the vinyl section: the typical peter frampton overload, chuck mangione greatest hits, and those two mid-​career rolling stones albums that aren’t any good (check out those wacky neon suits!). i came in to sell 8 or 10 of my books and the buybacks counter was completely insane. you’re probably familiar with this kind of chaos: pounds of textbooks that represent a single college education, outdated travel books, chicken soup for the soul, chicken soup for the gambler, chicken soup for the recently converted to scientology, books written by comedians, books written by talk show hosts, books written by various people whose faces can be seen on FOX news, reader’s digest magazines, every airport fiction bestseller from 1991 – 1997, very thin hardcover children’s books that stab you in the hand, and a few billy joel and kenny loggins cds spread out in stacks across the counter as if they fell from an uprighted wheelbarrow. some irritable crone was sitting behind the counter, shouting to the rest of the staff like she was a combat nurse out of morphine. i pushed my small column of old hardcovers to her side of the counter, and she curtly pushed it back towards me, as if i were trying to take priority over the yard sale happening a few feet away. whatever.
i browsed the shelves for rare editions of something that interested me. there was nothing to be had and i left empty-​handed, except for the 3 quarters and a penny i received for my books. the lamar and koenig location is infinitely better.

Great location… recently expanded and renovated. Great selection of books, magazines and dvds/​cds.
I spent almost 50 dollars, but left with 6 books, 7 magazines and some dvds!
Loves it!

Have a good selections of romance books, and Science fiction.
I’m sucker for them

I could spend HOURS in this store browsing the books and music. I don’t because 1.) There’s no place to sit and 2.) I don’t wanna be that creepy guy who lurks around in bookstores. You know who I’m talking about.
I go here first when I want a book that I’ll only read once or just don’t have the heart to give money to an author because of a personal distaste for (but still can’t resist reading the book). I sleep better that way.
Half Price is also perfect for disposable paperbacks (Stephen King and the like) that you’ve been meaning to read for two decades but haven’t. There’s no point in buying new if they have them at half price. And you can buy more of ‘em.
I’m usually browsing the biography, political opinion, or fashion section. I’ve been waiting for years for the Gucci by Gucci coffee table book, but I’ve never seen it (I guess I’ll just buy it new, darn it.). Sometimes you get lucky and find a hard to find that they don’t sell new, but this is few and far between. I rarely ask anyone to look up a book; I forgot if they actually can’t, or if their search database is such a hodgepodge that you’ll find it faster just browsing yourself.
The DVD section isn’t bad, but I always hesitate to buy used because of the possible damage and scratching. That’s just a personal hangup though. If you don’t mind used, buy away.
Once you buy the books, plan on keeping them or passing them on at a free trading post. I hauled in literally hundreds of books compiled from my grandparents and my own family, and I think I got like $ 10. Of course it took them an hour and a half to process them, and that’s all I got. Very similar to Buffalo Exchange… unless you’ve got something über-​special (like a first edition, which you wouldn’t want to hock anyway), they will literally pay pennies for what you have. It’s no biggie, it was great dumping off my old dust collecting VHS tapes there.
Regarding the staff, I only recall them being very silent. They aren’t really there to help, you’re basically on your own. That’s fine with me, this is one place I think I can hold my own.
Even though this isn’t the largest or most interesting Half Price, it’s my first stop before the other major chains. A book is a book, so for once I’m not all snotty about a place that’ll save you some money! Check it out.

Book re-​sellers are odd, because they reflect the tastes of the surrounding areas. I imagine that this location is a four– or five-​star place to someone who grew up in the area… but as to the weird scene or anything straying from a Christian curriculum, this store is constantly lacking.
What it does get is high points for service, which brings it up a bit in my book. The great service and knowledgeable employees remind you that the place still deserves the «Half-​Price» brand name on it.